1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cuttling or folding machines for folding up continuously supplied, and more specially flat tubular, textile web as a stack, comprising a stack support table and a pair of rotating bars transporting the web running therebetween and reciprocating over the folding table in a direction normal to their axes, and means for lowering the folding table in steps, one such step taking place after a whole number of strokes of the laying bars through a distance equal to a whole number of thicknesses of plies in which the material is laid on the support table.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the prior art a number of different designs of cuttling machines for folding flat tubular web have been proposed. In such machines the supplied web of material undergoes relaxation treatment before or after coming off the textile finishing machine, such relaxation or stress-relief generally comprising heating, then quenching and further transport in a loose condition. To make it possible for such web material to be placed neatly in a folded stack without the tension or stress of the material being modified, the material is run downwards through the two laying bars, that are usually placed over the folding table, on a reciprocating rocking carrier. There are means for lowering and lifting the table. The table is lowered in steps at the end of each stroke of the bars, the operation going on till the length of web has all been folded or the stack of plies on the table has reached a given height.
Because in this known cuttling machine the distance between the laying bars and the top of the stack of plies is constantly changing, neat and regular folding or laying is not possible, the machine more specially leaving much to be desired in this respect when the table is only lowered after more than one ply has been laid.
In order to enhance the neatness and regularity of the folding operation machines have been designed in which the support table and not the laying bars are reciprocated. The table then had to have means for moving it vertically, incrementally in steps, for moving it vertically, continuously and furthermore for reciprocating it sideways. Such a table driving and control system was expensive, elaborate and likely to get out of order. Because there were two guides with one being guided by the other there was a cumulative effect with respect to inaccuracies in the guides so that laying in plies was not regular, and furthermore there was an increase in irregularity as the folded pile grew in height.